Monument record LCS 322 - OUTLINE RECORD: Creation of Wetland Habitat for Wildlife (Zone 16) Excavation Area D, Sizewell MDS, (CAS) EXC

This site was within a stretch of land close to saltmarsh c.100m to the E. Minsmere marsh would have been more extensive than what survives today, before medieval and post-medieval reclamation of the saltmarsh. The archaeological stratigraphy and finds indicate activity dating to the prehistoric, Roman, Early Anglo-Saxon and medieval periods. The spot-dating provided by the stratified pottery shows that most of the archaeological remains were the result of land use in the medieval period, probably with a focus from the c.12th to c.14th centuries. Prehistoric activity included small pit groups and single features of Neolithic, Middle Bronze Age and Middle Iron Age date. Roman pits were also encountered, and Roman material was found residually across the site, whilst Early Anglo-Saxon features and 50 sherds (one vessel) were found in one section of a medieval ditch. There was a small concentration of Early Anglo-Saxon occupation activity in the S portion of the site. The main features were five sunken featured buildings (SFBs). As well as pottery, finds from the fills included spindle whorls, glass beads, an unfired loom weight, iron objects and animal bone. There were also pits, and a number of undated hearth-like features with heat-altered stone and fired clay lay in proximity to the SFBs. The medieval archaeology was dominated by multiple large ditched enclosures on a prevailing N–NW/S–SE alignment (running with the contours). A number of the ditch fills demonstrated repeated recuts with medieval pottery found sporadically throughout the fills. In all, over 460 ditch cuts/recuts were recorded. The distribution of medieval pottery and the presence of around 70 pits suggests that domestic waste was periodically disposed of at the site. The site lay between the two sites of Leiston Abbey: the first foundation (c.1182) was c.1km to the E within the marsh at Minsmere; the second abbey (c.1363) was c.2km to the SW. Given this location, it is very likely that the site lay within the 12th- to 14th-century landholdings of the abbey (S1).